-LRB- CNN -RRB- More than 22 months ago , the body of Odin Lloyd was found in an industrial park in North Attleboro , Massachusetts . Lloyd had been shot seven times near a pile of construction waste .

The semipro football player for the Boston Bandits was 27 .

Days after he was found dead , then-NFL star Aaron Hernandez was arrested and charged with murder . Testimony in the case against Hernandez began in January .

On Wednesday , a Fall River , Massachusetts , jury -- after deliberating 35 hours over the course of seven days -- found the former New England patriots tight end guilty of first-degree murder , which carries a penalty of life without parole , as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition .

Hernandez also faces murder charges in a 2012 double homicide . He has pleaded not guilty .

Just two years ago , he was one of the NFL 's most promising tight ends , inking a $ 40-million contract extension with the New England Patriots .

Friends and fans alike wondered : How could the star player who had more than 900 receiving yards in 2011 now be on trial for murder ?

Long before Hernandez made national headlines , he was a standout athlete in Bristol , Connecticut , who came from a family described as a local sports dynasty .

`` I do n't think there was another family that was more familiar in Bristol , '' Bob Montgomery , who covers high school sports for the Bristol Press , told CNN .

The young Hernandez was the `` golden boy , '' playing football , basketball and running track , following in the footsteps of his uncle , older brother and father -- all well-known athletes in the community .

Hernandez 's father constantly pushed his son , requiring him to practice for hours before he could go out with friends .

`` I saw a closeness with them that I 'd never seen before , '' Montgomery said of the relationship between Hernandez and his father .

But his father , the man who kept the 16-year-old anchored , died from complications after a routine surgery .

Hernandez left high school halfway through his senior year in January 2007 to join the University of Florida Gators , and trouble seemed to follow .

In just his first semester , a police report says , Hernandez got into a fight at an off-campus restaurant , sucker-punching the manager and rupturing his eardrum .

The following fall , there was a shooting near a local club . Police reports linked Hernandez and several other University of Florida football players to an argument in the parking lot .

Hernandez was one of more than 20 people interviewed by police , and he was the only one who did not make a statement after invoking his right to counsel .

At the time , Hernandez 's mother told the Orlando Sentinel newspaper , `` I know he was at the club , but he never saw any shooting . ''

The case remains open , and no one has been charged .

Hernandez was also suspended at least once for marijuana , an issue that would follow him as he entered the draft his junior year .

Trying to put the alleged drug use behind him , Hernandez wrote a letter to the Patriots director of personnel .

`` If you draft me as a member of the New England Patriots , I will willfully submit to a biweekly drug test throughout my rookie season . ... In addition , I will tie any guaranteed portion of my 2010 compensation to these drug tests and reimburse the team a pro-rata amount for any failed drug test , '' he wrote , according to the Boston Globe .

Before the draft , Hernandez was expected to be a first - or second-round pick . He was passed over until the fourth round , when the Patriots selected him .

By the end of his second season , he was a bona fide star , landing the $ 40 million contract extension .

Less than a year after signing the deal , however , the Patriots dropped him on the day he was charged with Lloyd 's murder .

When Odin Lloyd pulled up in a black Chevrolet suburban , Boston Bandits coach Mike Branch thought something was out of place . Lloyd did n't own a car .

Aaron Hernandez case : Who 's who ?

Branch had his suspicions , but he could n't get answers . Lloyd was too busy telling his friends about the good time he had at the club the previous night .

`` He said he was at the club with Mr. Hernandez , and that they were partying and he had a good time , and that Mr. Hernandez spent a good amount of money , '' Branch recalled . Lloyd said Hernandez spent about $ 10,000 that night .

Lloyd 's friends say he was n't a big partier . He was more passionate about football and family .

Remembering Odin Lloyd

Lloyd was dating Shaneah Jenkins , the link between the young man who dreamed of the NFL and the all-American who made it . Jenkins is the younger sister of Shayanna , who 's engaged to Hernandez and is the mother of his little girl .

On June 16 , 2013 , Lloyd was riding with friends in the black Suburban , which police later learned was rented by Hernandez .

Daryl Hodge was with Lloyd when he said Lloyd got a text from Hernandez , asking to hang out later that night . As they parted ways , Lloyd told Hodge he 'd see him later .

The next day , Lloyd 's body was found .

Prosecutors say Lloyd was last seen with Hernandez and Hernandez 's two associates , Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace , around 2:30 a.m. in a rented silver Nissan Altima .

Surveillance video from security cameras at an industrial park showed an Altima heading toward a secluded area at 3:22 a.m. .

At the same time , chilling text messages from Lloyd 's phone were sent to his sister telling her he was with `` Nfl , '' adding , `` just so u know . ''

Between 3:23 and 3:27 a.m. , workers nearby reported hearing gunshots . At 3:29 , a camera showed an Altima pulling into Hernandez 's driveway , about a half a mile from the death scene .

Three people got out of the car , and Lloyd was not one of them .

Nine days later , Hernandez was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and other weapons-related charges . He pleaded not guilty .

In April 2014 , Ortiz and Wallace were also charged in Lloyd 's slaying . They , too , pleaded not guilty . Prosecutors say the three men were to be tried in a joint venture , a legal term that means it 's not necessary to prove who pulled the trigger as long as there is evidence that each defendant actively participated in Lloyd 's murder .

As the trial for the death of Lloyd neared , lawyers began arguing about evidence , including cell phones and text messages . Some rulings were victories for the defense .

The jury would n't see the text Lloyd sent to his sister , telling her he was with `` Nfl . '' The judge ruled it hearsay and said the state had n't proven Lloyd believed his life was in danger .

Jurors also did n't hear anything about what happened in Boston on July 16 , 2012 -- the night two men were murdered outside a club where Hernandez had been . The judge agreed with defense lawyers that it 's far too prejudicial and irrelevant to Lloyd 's murder .

Investigators allege Hernandez shot and killed Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado because one of the men bumped into him on a nightclub dance floor and spilled his drink .

District Attorney Patrick Haggan described the scene in a Massachusetts courtroom in May , saying Hernandez became `` angered and increasingly agitated , particularly after Mr. Abreu smiled and did not apologize . ''

Prosecutors : Bump , spilled drink led to double homicide

Hernandez 's friend tried to calm him down , and the pair walked outside and eventually entered a second club across the street , the prosecutor said . Court documents identify that friend as Alexander Bradley , who would go on to accuse Hernandez of shooting him in the eye in an incident that would take place seven months later .

After leaving the second nightclub , Hernandez and the friend returned to their SUV and pulled over on a nearby street where Hernandez removed a revolver from the engine block , Haggan said .

Hernandez began trailing Abreu , Furtado and three of their friends in his SUV , authorities said .

He then pulled up to the victims ' car at a red light and leaned out the driver 's side window with a loaded revolver , Haggan told the court .

Hernandez allegedly said , `` Yo , what 's up now , '' followed by a racial slur , and fired at least five rounds from a .38 - caliber revolver , Haggan said .

Abreu , the driver , was shot several times and fatally hit in the chest . Furtado was sitting in the front passenger seat and suffered multiple gunshot wounds , including one to the head , Haggan said .

Hernandez was charged in the double homicide in May , and he pleaded not guilty .

Investigators found evidence they believe links him to the 2012 slayings while investigating the death of Lloyd .

CNN 's Laura Dolan , Kristi Ramsay and Michelle Rozsa contributed to this report .

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A jury has found ex-New England Patriots star guilty of murder

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Aaron Hernandez also charged with murder in 2012 double homicide

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` Golden boy ' had just inked $ 40 million contract when troubles began